[Lakeshark]

Beautiful pic.

Is the snow later than normal this year?

[Sundog]

The gray trees against the white snow are aspens, and there aspens all around, but those are more ash and maple trees there. The caterpillars infest those trees in the summer, and when you stretch your tarp by a stream to have a picnic, they drop by the dozens to join you. I'm glad I have a wife who isn't squeamish.

We have had such a delightful slow transition from spring to summer this year you can go to the base of the snow drifts, and three inches from the snow the flowers are blooming, tiny ones in white, yellow, and purple. They put up a few leaves and a blossom right in the water as soon as the snow melts, and the ground is polka-dotted with life where the snow recedes.

We had fun with two jays who were visiting us at our campsite in the snow, looking for peanuts, cracker chips, bread crumbs, and when I finally opened a packet of oatmeal they loved the stuff, but it wasn't what they could put in their beaks and hide for another day. They had to stay and eat, beautiful smart birds, Canadian gray jay.